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Junior doctors have spoken of the dangers of being overstretched as they take part in the first all-out strike.

A crowd of student and junior doctors picketed outside James Cook Hospital this morning in protest over the proposed new contract that they believe can put patient healthcare at risk.

Paul Falkous, 27, an anaesthetics and intensive care student who works at James Cook, said: “We are protesting because we feel we have lost complete faith in Jeremy Hunt.

“This new contract is unsafe for not only the patients but us too, it’s going to lead to staffing shortages as well as over-stretching us.

“On a usual day I start at around 8.30am and take over from the staff who have been on night duty where I will be told about all of the patients that we need to pay particular attention to.

“I then go round each patient individually and sort out their needs.”

He added: “The danger is that if we become too stretched we could get multiple admissions or multiple patients who are all unwell at the same time.

“If you have one person having a cardiac arrest in one bed and a patient with a problem in the next bed and there is not enough staff it could be a huge problem.”

Junior doctors' strike at James Cook University Hospital

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust cancelled 18 operations and 257 outpatient appointments today as a result of the industrial action.

The pickets across England are the first all-out strikes in the history of the NHS and nearly 13,000 routine operations have had to be postponed but doctors assured the Gazette that James Cook hospital was running smoothly.

Richard Wight, medical director for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The trust contingency plans, instigated to reduce the impact of the junior doctors strike, have worked well today.

He added: “We expect to be able to offer a similar high quality of service on the second day of action on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately we have needed to displace some planned operations and outpatient appointments to achieve this and have already contacted these patients.

“We apologise to those members of the public who have been inconvenienced.”

Junior doctors' strike at James Cook University Hospital

For Wednesday’s strike action, 12 operations and 288 outpatient appointments have been cancelled and patients who have appointments or surgery scheduled for Wednesday 27 April should turn up as arranged unless they have heard from the hospital to say their appointment or surgery has been cancelled.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt denied the Government had been looking for a battle with public sector unions and accused “elements” within the BMA of refusing to reach any compromise agreement.

“The last thing we are doing is itching for a fight,” he told the BBC.

“Insofar as it is a political strike, I do think there are some elements - not the majority and certainly not the majority of junior doctors - but there are some elements at the very top of the BMA who are absolutely refusing to compromise.”